WATERVILLE, Maine -- Senior right side hitter Bailey Madrzyk (Barrington, Ill.) put down 13 kills and senior libero Sophie Wilhelm (Saunderstown, R.I.) picked up a career-high 34 digs to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's volleyball team to a marathon 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 27-25, 10-25, 17-15) victory over host Colby College this evening at the Margaret M. Crook Center in Waterville, Maine.

The Lyons even their record at 11-11, while the Mules fall to 13-6.

Colby took the first and fourth sets, while Wheaton won the middle frames, including a 27-25 third set that gave it a 2-1 lead. The Lyons battled to take the fifth set, 17-15.

Madrzyk hit .344 for the match and recorded a dig, while Wilhelm added an ace to her career dig total for Wheaton. First year middle hitter Julia Wingler (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) spiked for 11 kills on a .240 hitting mark and added a block solo and a pair of digs, while classmate Sydney Lyon (Weston, Conn.) posted a double-double of 11 kills and 11 digs. Junior setter Julianna Flack (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) set for 34 assists, got down for nine digs and fired four aces.

Junior middle hitter Hannah Wylie (Rockland, Mass.) led the Mules with 12 kills and hit .267 for the match in addition to an ace and a pair of solo blocks, while first year outside hitter Emma Davis (Cranberry Township, Pa.) registered nine kills and a dig. Senior outside hitter Sam Schultz (The Woodlands, Texas) put away eight kills to go with 14 digs and an ace and first year setter Sydney Sick (San Jose, Calif.) directed the offense with 24 assists and added 13 digs and three aces. Sophomore libero Bella Schumacher (Carmel, Ind.) scooped up 30 digs and served a pair of aces.

The Mules scored nine of the first 10 points to open the match, behind a pair of aces from Schumacher. Wheaton responded with five unanswered points, including four kills from junior outside hitter Annah Shaheen (Portsmouth, N.H.), to cut the deficit to 9-6. Colby put together a 6-1 burst to take a 15-7 lead and maintained a 24-16 margin, before the Lyons scored three straight points, including a pair of Wingler kills to pull to within 24-19. Schultz put down the final kill of the frame to give the home team a 25-19 first set victory.

The teams played within two points of each other for most of the second set before the Mules held a 17-16 edge. Wheaton scored four straight points, fueled by a pair of Flack aces, to take a 20-17 lead. Colby closed to within 22-20, but the Lyons scored three straight points, capped by a Wingler kill to even the match with a 25-20 win.

The Mules looked to reclaim the match lead with a 16-9 lead in the third frame, but Wheaton ripped off eight unanswered points, led by two aces from Flack and two kills from senior outside hitter Emily Hickey (Kennebunk, Maine). to take a 17-16 lead. Colby scored the next two points to pull ahead at 18-17 and later held a 25-24 edge, but the Lyons scored the final three points to take the set at 27-25 and a 2-1 match lead. 

Wheaton was within 7-6 in the opening set, before the Mules ripped off 12 of the next 13 points to take a commanding 19-7 lead, paced by a pair of kills each from first year middle hitter Sydney Bopp (Austin, Texas) senior middle hitter Natalie Bumpus (Concord, Mass.). Colby scored the final four points to take the set (25-10), including a pair of kills from Wylie.

The Lyons scored the first five points of the deciding set, including a pair of kills from Lyon. The Mules chipped away and put together a 9-3 run to give them a 9-8 lead. Davis put down a pair of kills and Sick fired two aces for Colby. Wheaton scored four of the next five points to take a 12-10 lead, but the Mules responded in kind with a 4-1 spurt to put them on the brink of victory at 14-13. The Lyons continued the trend by scoring four of the next five points, including two kills from Madrzyk, to take the set at 17-15 for a 3-2 match win.

Wheaton returns to action tomorrow when it continues its weekend in Maine with a 12:00 p.m. contest in Brunswick against Bowdoin College, while Colby takes on Bowdoin in the night cap of today's action at 7:00 p.m. in Waterville.